Champion of the Labyrinth
by melody425
Summary: What if the final confrontation between Sarah and Jareth had ended differently? Toby has been safely returned home, but as Champion of the Labyrinth, Sarah has to collect her prize. Does she want it? Does she have a choice? Not if Jareth can help it, but can he change Sarah's mind? I do not own Labyrinth, any of its characters, or any other affiliations. Please read and review! :)
1. Contract

One moment Sarah was jumping down to save Toby, the next everything was falling to pieces around her as she fell. She eventually landed, somehow gently, on her feet and looked around at the mess of broken stairs and rock all around her, but she could not see Toby.

"Where is he?" She asked aloud to the thin air, her face etched with worry.

"Where do you think?" Came the snipped reply from the shadows. Jareth slowly emerged from a dark corner. "He is back in your home unharmed. You won."

A small sense of relief passed through Sarah at his words, but she still doubted whether she could trust him. "Well if I won, why am I still here?"

A slow smirk began to spread across Jareth's lips as he stepped towards Sarah. She instinctively began stepping backwards, away from him. "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah, hasn't anyone ever told you to read the fine print when making a deal?" He was like a predator going after its prey.

Sarah gazed at him with a confused stare, her mind racing trying to understand just what he was getting at. "But we didn't have a written contract…"

"Exactly," his smile grew ever wider, "Your mistake was not asking for one." He continued to stalk towards her, but Sarah still resisted and continued moving away from him. "If you had asked for one, you would have realized that by beating the Labyrinth, yes, Toby would be sent home unharmed, but that you would also win a prize."

Sarah didn't like the way his face darkened as he said the word 'prize'. "And just what is my…prize?" She squeaked out the last word hesitantly, afraid of what he was about to say.

"Why **me** and the Labyrinth of course!" He chuckled darkly. "You are now Queen of the Labyrinth! **My** Queen..." He smiled seductively as he reached out to brush a stray hair away from her face.

Sarah gasped when he said 'queen' and took an even bigger step back, not realizing that she was nearing an edge with a fall of about ten feet. She began flailing her arms, trying wildly to grab on to thin air, when she felt two strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her away from the edge. Before she knew it, she was clamped against Jareth's chest, feeling his chest rise and fall against her cheek; he was breathing rather rapidly she noticed.

Jareth was frozen with her in his arms. All he could do at the moment was breathe. He had acted instinctively when he pulled her back from the edge, but he was surprised at how much it had scared him when he saw her starting to fall.

After a moment of stillness, they both began to thaw; Sarah sidestepped out of his grasp and he let her.

"Thank you…for…for catching me," she stammered, tucking that stray strand of hair behind her ear. Jareth was just about to accept her thanks with a witty reply, when he heard her take a deep breath and then lock her eyes onto his. "However," she began with newly found courage, "I will not be staying here nor will I be your Queen, the Labyrinth's Queen, or anyone else's. Return me home now."

Jareth's eyes widened in shock slightly at her confident tone, but he had expected her to resist initially at least, albeit not so forcefully.

"I'm afraid I simply cannot at this time," he began matter-of-factly, "You are bound to the Labyrinth by our verbal contract. You must stay," he finished, crossing his arms over his chest, hoping to intimidate her.

"For how long?" she asked immediately, praying he was not going to say forever. She was trying to stand as tall as she could and keep her voice strong, but she was starting to waver.

 _Damn_ , Jareth thought, hoping she wasn't going to ask that question. He had stupidly hoped she would just assume forever. He mustered up some gruff in his voice to make it sound more terrifying when he replied, "One whole year…"

Sarah let out the breath she had been holding. At least this wasn't forever, but still, a whole year? "What are my family and friends supposed to think? That I've just disappeared and then in a year say, surprise! I'm back?" She exclaimed.

Jareth sighed. Again, she had asked a question that he had hoped to avoid. He wished he could re-write the laws of the Labyrinth contract, but it was bound by untouchable, centuries old magic. "You need not worry love," Sarah cringed slightly at the term of endearment, but he continued anyway, "Time runs differently here in the Underground. To you, a year will go by here, feeling much like a year Aboveground, but _if_ you decide to return home after one year here with me, mere hours will have passed in your world. You'll be back before your parents even return home from their date."

Sarah noticed his strange use of the word 'if'; why wouldn't she want to go home? However, for now she decided to focus on the matter at hand. "But what about Toby?"

Jareth simply waved his hand declaring, "Toby was returned safely to his crib less than a second after he was taken."

"Well I can't just leave my baby brother in a house all alone for six hours!" Sarah yelled, feeling so very tired of playing this seemingly endless game with the Goblin King.

Jareth waved his arm again, but this time a crystal appeared in his fingers by a flick of his wrist. "I can assure you, dear Sarah, that Toby will sleep soundly for the next six hours Aboveground unharmed." He held the crystal out to her and she found herself drawn to look within it. She could see Toby sleeping in his crib as the minutes ticked by on a clock nearby at hyper speed. Sarah was watching so intently that she did not notice the Goblin King slowly pulling the crystal towards him. She also didn't realize that her feet were following, like she was in a trance-like state.

"How do I know this is real?" She asked, still gazing into the crystal's depths at Toby. The feeling of Jareth's breath against her cheek startled her, not realizing he was so close. She instinctively pulled back and he let her.

"You are just going to have to trust me," he purred. "You have seen that I can reorder time."

A lightbulb went on in Sarah's head and she blurted out her next words before she could even think them through. "Well then…couldn't you just fast-forward through my year here then…please?" She added hopefully.

Jareth's laugh reached Sarah's ears instantaneously. He was shaking his head while he chuckled happily, "Not likely, my Queen, not likely."

Sarah didn't even flinch. She had known it was a long shot. "And don't call me your Queen!" She shouted in frustration as she crossed her arms over her chest, mimicking his own stance.

Jareth continued to chuckle. He found her quite cute when she was annoyed. Sarah's mind on the other hand was frantically thinking about poor Toby being all by himself, even if just for six hours. _He did look peaceful in the crystal though_ , Sarah thought, but then a sickening idea came into her mind.

"You didn't give him something to make him sleep for the next six hours, did you?" Her fear was evident in her shaking voice.

Jareth stopped laughing and composed himself. As he had learned just moments before, he did not like to see Sarah so genuinely frightened. He placed a gloved hand on her shoulder. She tried to squirm out of his grasp, but he just held on tighter. Using his other hand, he turned Sarah to face him and then lifted her chin with his fingers so that she was looking into his eyes. "You have my word that I did not give him anything. His time in the Labyrinth has simply tired him out, so he is just a sleepy baby."

Sarah was surprised that she actually believed him. For just that moment his voice and his eyes seemed to be so pure and innocent, like he was really telling the truth. Sarah wasn't ready to stop trying to negotiate though. "Well, you at least have to let me return to my house so I can grab my stuff," she said, staring him down, refusing to give in.

"No, I don't," he replied in that sing-song voice he had. "I've already had a room prepared for you in the castle with everything that you will need." His smile reminded her of the Cheshire cat. Sarah was just about to protest when he exclaimed, "Let me show you!" He quickly grabbed her hand and a second later they were standing in a large bedroom.

Sarah's mouth opened slightly in awe of the beauty of the room. Her reaction pleased Jareth. He had redecorated for her, but he wasn't going to tell her that. Everything was coloured in rich jewel tones, mostly purples and blues, but there were also accents of creamy white. As she took in her surroundings: the King sized canopy bed in the middle of the room, the antique writing desk in the corner, and the bookshelf along the wall filled with so many volumes, Jareth opened her wardrobe across from the bed so she could see her vast array of clothing options. If Jareth had his way, she would only ever dress in off the shoulder, flowing gowns, but he knew his Sarah and that would never fly with her, so he also included some casual wear: jeans, t-shirts, sweatpants, hoodies. He did want Sarah to be comfortable after all.

Sarah touched a few of the dresses, one in a beautiful shade of emerald green with ribbons to match and another that was silvery gray with velvet sleeves. She was just about to comment on how lovely they were, when she noticed another wardrobe not too far away. Figuring it held more clothing for her, she went and opened it, but was confused by what she saw.

Sarah slowly turned to face Jareth, a suspicious glare building in her eyes. "Why is this wardrobe full of your clothing? Do you not have enough space to store it in your own room?"

" _ **Our**_ room," he corrected her.

She raised her eyebrows at him in disbelief. "I am not sharing a room with you," she stated flatly.

"Again, I'm sorry precious, but your prize includes this room and me in it," he replied with smug satisfaction in his voice.

"Well one of us needs to find another room." Sarah wasn't going to budge on this point.

"Be my guest," Jareth stated simply, gesturing towards the door.

She narrowed her eyes a him, unsure as to why had given up so easily. She had expected more of a fight with him. Sarah moved towards the door and out into the gray stone hallway. There were many heavy wooden doors to choose from, so she chose one, three doors down on the right. Pushing it open, Sarah's mind began to spin. There standing in front of her was Jareth in the same room she had just left! She shook her head frantically and turned around to open the door across the hall. Jareth's smirk greeted her yet again! Sarah ran down the hallway, her frantic steps making tapping sounds that echoed and followed her. She threw open every door in sight only to have the same effect each time.

"You have to be kidding me!" She sighed breathlessly.

"Unfortunately I am not, my sweet," Jareth crooned. "The Labyrinth knows that this room rightfully belongs to you as part of your prize and therefore will not let you have any other."

Sarah's mind was working in overdrive, trying to find a loophole. "Well then, either you need to find another room to sleep in or I'll sleep in the living room." Sarah crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a defiant stare.

Jareth, who had been enjoying watching her run frantically around up until now suddenly became deadly serious. Sarah saw the changed expression on his face and the intensity of it did frighten her. She tried to hold her ground as he approached her. He got so close that she could feel angry heat radiating from his body. "Now Sarah," he began in a deathly quiet tone, "The Labyrinth may want you to have this room, but I am still its King. If you do not comply with me, I can have you exiled and tied up to a tree in the Bog of Eternal Stench for the next year!" He finished loudly, making her flinch.

Sarah gulped. Having personally been to the Bog before, she certainly did not want to go back; not just because of the smell, but also because of the isolation and loneliness she would feel there being all alone in exile. Anger simmered under Sarah's skin towards the Goblin King, but she knew that she had to keep her head about her. "Fine," she responded through gritted teeth, "but do I have your word that you will not make me do anything in this room other than sleep?"

"I won't make you do anything against your will," he drawled, "besides sleep in this room."

Sarah sighed, knowing that getting direct answers from him was impossible.

"Speaking of sleep, I think it is high time for bed," he raised his eyebrows at her in a come hither fashion.

Sarah made a noise of disgust as he said, "You will find suitable sleep attire in the bottom drawer of your wardrobe."

Still seething, Sarah marched to the drawer, wrenched it open, grabbed the first thing she touched, and stomped into the ensuite bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Jareth chuckled at her fury. _This is going to be fun,_ he thought wickedly. Not needing a washroom to change, Jareth simply waved his arm over his body and his tight fitting clothing changed to looser, yet still form fitting silk pajamas in a deep blood red. He then gracefully laid down on the bed, undid the top few buttons of his shirt to expose his muscled chest, crossed his ankles and then his arms so they were casually resting behind his head as he waited eagerly for his princess.

Sarah meanwhile was mentally kicking herself as she looked in the mirror at her reflection. In her rage she had just grabbed the first piece of clothing she had touched in the drawer and it just happened to be a silk, teal nightgown. Sarah liked the feel of the silk against her skin and she liked the colour, but she did not like the spaghetti straps, the ways it dipped to a low 'v' in both the front and the back, that it fit quite snug to her body, and that it only extended to her mid thigh. It was more lingerie than nightgown. Sarah did like the way it made her look and feel sexy, but she certainly did not want to look or feel sexy for him.

"I am not going out like this," she said resolutely aloud to her own reflection in the mirror. She went to grab her clothes that she had discarded on the floor minutes before, but they weren't there. Even the towels had disappeared! _He must have heard me,_ she thought, _stupid, non-human hearing._

"Oh, Sarah," his voice sang to her from the other side of the door, "come on out please." She could hear the smile evident in his voice. She was trying to think of a scathing reply when he added in the same sweet sounding voice, "Don't make me come in there…because I will…" he taunted.

Deciding that she had probably pushed her luck enough that night and that she shouldn't test him, she slowly opened the door with a dejected look on her face.

"My, my, my," Jareth exclaimed as he exhaled a breath and sat up in the bed, "You are beautiful." He let his eyes roam over her body, satisfied that he had picked out the right style to accent and accentuate her beauty.

Sarah stood in shock for a moment, completely still. She was surprised by the sweetness of his reaction. She had expected something more tasteless and crude. The first thing she could think of to say was, "It's not very warm…" while pulling at the hem resting on her thigh.

"Well," Jareth sighed, "I suppose you could grab a sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants from your wardrobe to wear over top. I'm not heartless you know…" he finished, looking right into her eyes, with just a hint of warmth in them.

Unsure of how to verbally respond to his last statement, Sarah just went and put on the warmer clothing over top of her nightie. She felt Jareth's eyes on her the entire time, making her feel uneasy. Turning away from the wardrobe, Sarah just stood there, not sure of what to do next.

Jareth patted the space in the bed next to him, beckoning her over. She walked with trepidation towards the bed, stopping at its edge. "You say you aren't heartless," she began, suddenly finding her voice. Jareth gave a slight nod of his head before she continued. "If you aren't heartless, please let me sleep under the covers with you on top of the covers; you on your side of the bed while I'm on my side, with no meeting in between…" Sarah looked hopefully into his eyes, trying to gauge his reaction.

"Alright," he began, "I agree to your terms, except since it was my bed originally, I will sleep under the covers and you can sleep on top, unless you decide to join me…" He winked at her.

"Nope! That's fine," Sarah amended quickly, while trying to stop from blushing. "I'll sleep on top of the covers." She grabbed the purple fleece blanket at the foot of the bed, plopped herself down on the mattress, and then immediately laid down on top of the covers facing away from Jareth. She felt him shift in the bed as he got up to turn down the covers. He carelessly threw them open, causing the corner to land on her bare arm that was peeking out from the purple blanket. She froze. As he laid back down, Sarah felt the mattress sink again. She felt his weight shift forward in order to grab the covers. His fingers brushed her arm lightly as he dragged the covers across her bare skin, causing her to shiver.

"Goodnight Sarah," he chuckled. She felt his warm breath on her neck before he rolled over to face away from her. Sarah chose to stay silent, her lips pressed together with anxious energy.


	2. Morning Surprise

Sarah surprisingly slept well that night. She began to stir when light from a nearby window started to dance upon her eyes. Not wanting to wake up just yet, she simply sighed and basked in the nice feeling of being toasty and warm in her own bed. _I remember that I was cold in the middle of the night for some reason._ She thought to herself. _Why was I cold?_

Sarah then realized that the light hitting her eyes was coming from the wrong side of her room. She was just starting to roll over when she realized she was laying on something. Her eyes flashed open suddenly as she felt strong arms tighten around the curvature of her waist.

With her eyes now open, Sarah could take stock of where she was. Immediately memories of the night before flooded back into her mind. She ever so slowly turned her head to the left, holding her breath in fear of what she was about to see.

Sarah's fears became reality as she discovered her head was on Jareth's chest and his head was nuzzled into her hair. She bit back a gasp at this startling revelation. Her brain couldn't seem to stick with one emotion at the current moment as confusion, shock, embarrassment, and anger were all swirling around in her mind. From the shallow rise and fall of his warm, bare chest against her cheek, he was seemingly still asleep. Then another thought hit her: _How do I get out of this compromising position?_ Any scenario she thought of ended awkwardly.

Since her brain was working overtime, Sarah didn't notice that Jareth too was now in the process of waking up, that is until she heard him sigh contentedly and lazily drawl, "Well good morning my precious thing."

Sarah couldn't take it any longer: his body entangled with hers, his warm breath on her neck, his contented smile; Sarah jerked away and jumped out of the bed as fast as she could.

"What the hell happened last night?" She asked vehemently, her eyes angry like sharp daggers.

Jareth's serene look of contentment morphed into a mask of mock shock, "Whatever do you mean?"

"How did _**you**_ get me under the covers?" She angrily pointed at him when she said the word 'you'.

Jareth chuckled lightly at her fury, "I'm afraid my dear that you did all of that on your own." He smiled.

"What do you mean?" She asked, trying to hold onto her anger. His answer had only confused Sarah more, causing her rage to dissipate slightly.

"I mean," he began, "that when we went to bed, I was under the covers, you were on top of the covers, and we were facing away from each other. Then surprisingly I wake up this morning to the immense satisfaction of holding you in my arms." He finished by looking intensely into Sarah's eyes. She tried to hold her ground and stare him down, but her embarrassment got the better of her and she looked away as she slowly remembered what had indeed happened the night before.

Sarah remembered feeling cold. She had sleepily opened her eyes and noticed that her purple fleece blanket had fallen onto the floor. Instead of retrieving it, Sarah had simply shifted her weight and slid under the covers, forgetting in her sleepy state where she was, who she was in bed with, and therefore the reason she had been sleeping on top of the covers. Sarah's cheeks only flamed more at these recollections.

"Okay," she began, trying to maintain some dignity, "I may have gotten under the covers myself, but how did your arms end up around me?" She asked tersely.

Jareth thought for a moment and then conceded that point to her with a slight tip of his head. "Ah yes, that is more puzzling…" He paused, before raising his right hand in the air, "I solemnly swear that I did not maliciously intend to spoon you, it just sort of happened I suppose," he finished, his face a mask of serious sincerity.

Sarah sighed heavily, not sure whether she believed him or not. "So…what now?" She asked, unsure of what to say next, do next, or even where to look. She was currently admiring the burgundy and gold rug under her feet.

"Breakfast?" She heard his voice chime out clearly. Sarah shifted her gaze to her stomach. She was pretty hungry. She mustered up some courage, lifted her eyes to his, and confidently replied, "Alright."

"Wonderful," he purred as he pushed back the covers and got out of bed. Sarah couldn't help but marvel at how well put together he looked in the morning. His face was bright, his pajamas were immaculate, and there wasn't a hair on his head that was out of place. Sarah crossed her arms over her chest, feeling inadequate. She still felt sleepy, her sweatshirt and track pants were hopelessly wrinkled, and although she couldn't see her hair, she just knew that she was sporting some ridiculous looking bedhead.

"Well," he began, as he waved his arm to instantly change his pajamas into a white poet's shirt, open at the chest, tucked into gray tights, which in turn were tucked into knee high black boots. "I will take my leave of you now so that you can get ready. I will be back in five minutes time to give you a tour of your new home," he finished as he walked past her towards the door.

"Cheater," Sarah whispered under her breath as he passed, referring to his magical quick change. She heard him chuckle slightly and then felt his breath tickle the hair over her right shoulder as he whispered in her ear, "Oh, and Sarah? I find your hair in the morning to be absolutely adorable." She felt his gloved hand move her hair to behind her shoulder as she suppressed a shiver. Then he was gone. Sarah heaved a big sigh. _This is going to take some getting used to…_


	3. Breakfast for Two

Sarah quickly went over to her wardrobe, knowing that she only had a few minutes to get ready. She surveyed her options and was torn. Part of her wanted to wear the most comfortable and least flattering outfit imaginable just to spite Jareth, but part of her also wanted to wear one of the beautiful gowns he left for her. She had never owned such beautiful clothing before; only her costume dresses came close and they were just cheap imitations.

Chewing on her lower lip while in thought, Sarah finally decided on a royal blue velvet dress with an empire waist lined with gold ribbon and flowy sleeves made out of sheer royal blue lace to match the bodice. The neckline of the dress was square, which Sarah liked as she didn't feel suffocated, but she also wasn't flaunting her assets. The last thing Sarah wanted was for Jareth to think that she was showing off for him.

Knowing that she only had minutes before he returned, she quickly brushed her teeth, washed her face, and braided her hair in one long braid down her back. Just as she secured her hair with a black elastic, she heard a knock at the door.

"Uh…come in!" She hesitantly called out, a little nervous. She gave herself one last look in the mirror before heading back into the bedroom. Jareth had his back to her as he was opening the curtains to let more natural light into the room.

Hearing her approach, he asked over his shoulder, "Did you find everything that you required?"

"Yes, I did thank you," she replied timidly, wringing her hands nervously in front of her, unsure of how to act.

"Well," Jareth began, he was just about to announce that breakfast was served, when he turned around and got his first full look at her. Jareth's breath hitched in his throat and made him momentarily pause, speechless. She looked lovely. She reminded him of how she looked when she was playing dress up in the park, acting out his story. However, in this light she looked more mature. She fit in well with her surroundings and looked like she belonged there. "You look…very nice," he finished quickly before turning away from her and distracting himself by magically making the bed with a wave of his arm.

Again, Sarah was puzzled by his reaction. When she expected crudeness, he was surprisingly sweet, but then just as she'd let her guard down, he would become seductive and smirking again. The Goblin King's ever-changing emotions were giving her whiplash.

Before Sarah could mumble a thank you, he was by her side offering his arm to her. "Breakfast is ready to be served in the dining hall. I will escort you there."

Sarah looked at his proffered arm warily. "You don't need to do the whole chivalry thing with me you know. I am perfectly capable of walking on my own…"

He quickly cut her off by simply saying, "Humour me, please. I am old fashioned…in some respects at least…" he ended with a smirk and a wink in her direction.

 _There! He did it again!_ She thought; he went from sweet to seductively dangerous in five seconds flat. Sarah couldn't help but gulp before muttering, "Thank you," as she slowly linked her arm around his. He pulled her in tighter and she winced at the sudden awkwardness she felt. Jareth chuckled inwardly, highly amused by her apparent nerves and discomfort.

As they slowly walked towards the dining room, Jareth became a tour guide, pointing out interesting paintings, tapestries, and explaining where each hallway led. Sarah really was trying to listen, but she kept getting distracted by his closeness. As they walked around a corner, Jareth raised his left arm to rest his hand on top of hers. Sarah could immediately feel the blood rushing to her face, so she quickly looked down and away from him, pretending that she couldn't feel his hand brushing against hers.

Jareth clicked his tongue at her in disapproval as they continued to walk. "My dear, we are going to be seeing a lot of each other over the next year and I would prefer to see your lovely face and not the top of your head when I look at you."

"You make me uncomfortable," she replied honestly, still not daring to look up at him.

"Well, we'll have to find some creative ways to raise your level of comfort around me, won't we?" He proposed mischievously, squeezing her arm in between his. Still looking down at the ground, she rolled her eyes at his forward gesture.

Sarah was happy to see that they had finally made it to the dining room and therefore was hoping that the topic of conversation would change. Jareth escorted her to a chair at one end of the table. He released her arm so that he could pull out her chair. Her arm tingled in response, adjusting to not being squeezed anymore. She sat down and he helped her push herself in. Her braid got caught between her back and the back of the chair. She was just about to reach back when she felt his warm hands trail down her back and move her braid over her shoulder. His hand lingered on her shoulder until she squeaked out, "Thank you."

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief when he headed down to the other end of the table to sit. As he sat down, a strange, questioning expression came over his face. "Something is not right…" he began, "How can I get to know you well when you are all the way down there? I know…" he grinned cheekily, and in a flash that startled Sarah, he poofed himself and his place setting from the other end of the table to right next to her. The table had changed too, from a grand, dark wood dining room table with seating for ten to a corner booth with a little round table. There were no chairs opposite them, only the angled booth bench with just enough room for the two of them, the sides of their bodies touching. Jareth was facing her with a seductive gleam in his eye as he raised his left arm to rest it on the back of the booth, his arm basically around Sarah's shoulders.

"There, isn't this more cozy and comfy?" He mused with mock innocence. He twirled a strand of her long chestnut brown hair around his finger.

Sarah was fuming on the inside. _How dare he just invade my personal space like that?! He keeps pushing his boundaries with me and this has gone far enough. Two can play at his game,_ Sarah thought wickedly. Summoning her courage as an actress, Sarah let a sensual smile grace her features as she quite forwardly placed her right hand on Jareth's nearest thigh and purred, "Yes, much better."

Jareth's body stiffened at her touch, not expecting this surprising reaction of hers. "Why Sarah, you seem to have had a change of heart?" He questioned, genuinely interested in this changed behaviour.

Inside Sarah's mind was a flurry of alarm bells warning her not to get burned, but she managed to stay cool, calm, and collected on the outside. "Well," she started, looking up at him through her dark lashes, "I have simply decided to embrace my fate here." She began drawing lazy circles on Jareth's thigh, slightly higher up than where she had originally placed her hand.

"I am very glad to hear that," Jareth replied huskily, clearing his throat. Sarah could tell that he was obviously aroused, but that he also didn't like it. Both of his hands were tensely squeezed into fists. Jareth didn't like not being the one in control.

 _How could I push him over the edge?_ Sarah thought deviously and she let her body take over complete control for a moment. She scooted herself even closer to him and then before he had time to react or she had time to think and chicken out, she swung her outside leg up and over his knees so she was straddling him while sitting on his lap. Jareth audibly gasped as Sarah raised her arms to press her hands into the back of the booth, one hand on either side of his head, essentially trapping and pinning him beneath her.

"Sarah!" Jareth exclaimed in complete and utter shock, "What on earth has come over you? Please get a hold of yourself." He actually seemed more frightened of her erratic behaviour now than aroused.

Almost right where she wanted him, Sarah decided to push him just a bit further before going in for the kill. She took on a breathy tone to her voice and said her next words so sensually while slowly grinding her hips in circles against his: "I just…wanted you…to see…" Sarah paused her speech and movements in order to glare at Jareth who looked beyond confused and uncomfortable. "How invading someone's personal space without their consent is wrong and unnerving! See how you like it!" She finished in a cruel tone before pushing herself off of him forcefully and storming out of the dining room in disgust.


	4. A Penny for Your Thoughts

Sarah, still enraged, had no idea where she was going. She just took passage after passage until she managed to find her way outside. She just stood there in the sunlight for a moment, closed her eyes, and took deep breaths, letting the warm summer air fill her lungs, helping to calm herself down. As her rage subsided, a sickening guilt began to fill her stomach. She began to feel ashamed at how she acted. Yes, she had wanted to teach Jareth a lesson, but did she have to take it so far? Sarah slumped down to sit on the grass, her head in her hands. _Why had feeling in control felt so good?_ She thought anxiously. She knew it was wrong, but it had felt exciting to manipulate him, knowing that he wanted her and that she was just stringing him along.

 _Be honest with yourself Sarah_ , her conscience rebuked her, _were you really just stringing him along?_ She let out a frustrated growl and flung herself back on the grass so that she was lying down, looking up at the clouds. _How can I be falling for him?_ She thought in amazement. _He broke into my house, kidnapped my baby brother, made me run a dangerous, life-threatening Labyrinth, and then drugged me with a trip inducing peach for god's sake! Maybe this is Stockholm syndrome?_ Sarah wondered. _Am I falling for my kidnapper? Is he really my kidnapper though? He could barely be considered Toby's kidnapper since I had actually wished for him to take Toby away._ Sarah smacked her forehead with an open palm several times. She hated when her conscience spilled the whole, ugly truth.

Jareth, on the other hand, was still in the same position that Sarah had left him in. He was frozen in thought: _Who was that woman?_ He had never seen such a fire in Sarah before. If he was being completely honest, it had scared him at first, but ultimately it had made her even more attractive to him than before.

Yes, he had understood her point. Maybe…just maybe he had been pushing a bit too much, but my god, if he could win her to his side, their passion together would be phenomenal. _But how do I do this?_ He thought. _She's young and wants romance, so I suppose I need to court her and woo her more. This is not an area of expertise for me, since women normally just fall at my feet begging, but I'm sure I can manage. It will be a fine balance between romancing her like a gentleman, but also showing her how to embrace her passion and not fear or run away from it or me. First I'll have to get her to talk to me again. That will be a challenge in itself,_ he mused. He had an idea though and really hoped that it was going to work.


	5. Exploration

After much contemplation, Sarah had numbly resigned herself to the fact that she had feelings of some sort for the Goblin King. Not wanting to deal with them at this particular moment though, Sarah was distracting herself by looking up the clouds. As a young child she had loved to lie down on a grassy hill and see what shapes she could form from the clouds. She would then create stories of how a bunny rabbit would defeat a fire breathing dragon or how a princess would rescue a trapped fox.

As Sarah tried to see shapes in the clouds above her, she slowly noticed that something was skimming across them. A bird of some sort was circling above her. As it came closer to the ground, Sarah realized it must be Jareth in his owl form.

 _Wow, did I scare him so much that he can't even see me face to face right now?_ She thought sarcastically. She noticed that the owl had something in his beak that he then dropped before flying back towards the castle. The object gracefully fell to the ground and landed a little ways away from her, so she got up, brushed the grass from her dress and went to investigate. Upon approaching it, Sarah could tell that it was a single flower, but she was unsure of what kind at first due to its unusual colour. She gingerly picked up the flower and held it in her hands. It was a blue rose that matched the exact colour of her dress. Sarah had to admit that she was actually impressed, since she knew that blue roses were not natural and had to be carefully dipped dyed, at least in the Abovegound. Whether roses actually grew that way in the Underground or Jareth had just conjured it up out of a crystal, Sarah was touched that he made it match her dress and roses happened to be her favourite flower, whether Jareth knew that or not.

 _But what do I make of this?_ She wondered. _Is it a peace offering? If so…I guess I accept. If I have to live here for the next year, I'd like for it to at least be civil._ Sarah took a deep breath and said to herself, "Okay feet, let's get this over with and find the Goblin King."

The problem though, Sarah quickly realized, was that she had no idea where to look or even where she was. She managed to find the entrance back into the castle easily enough, but couldn't remember which passages she had taken to escape the dining room earlier.

 _I suppose I could call on him?_ She thought reluctantly. _No, I want to find him myself, in person, so our next interaction begins on equal ground. So I guess I'll just explore and start opening doors then…_

Sarah knew that her objective was to find Jareth, but she had to admit that she had been curious about the castle and was quite enjoying exploring it. Not knowing what she would find behind each door intrigued her. Jareth had been telling the truth, at least so far, as she had yet to find a door that lead to another bedroom. She hadn't even been able to find their own bedroom yet, but so far she had found indoor squash and tennis courts, an indoor swimming pool with hot tub and sauna, a beautiful ballroom that was surprisingly similar to the one from her peach dream, a library with a cozy fireplace, a huge kitchen, and Jareth's throne room, which she remembered from the day before.

"That means," Sarah said aloud to herself, "that if I go up these stairs, I should be in…"

"The Escher Room," Jareth finished for her. And she had been right, as she was now standing once again in the dizzying room with the staircases that went in all directions. Looking around you never knew which way was up or down. Jareth was sitting down on a staircase just behind her. The whole scene gave her a weird sense of déjà vu from the day before.

"I've been looking for you," She said quietly, avoiding his stare.

"Have you?" He asked simply. Sarah noticed that all of the usual mirth was gone from his face, leaving him looking sort of neutral, not sad necessarily, but also not happy.

"Thank you for the rose," which she still held cradled in her hands.

"You're welcome. It is meant to be a…" Jareth paused, unsure of what to call it exactly.

"A peace offering?" Sarah supplied, hoping that was what it was meant to be.

"Yes, I suppose so," Jareth slowly nodded his head in agreement. "I just wanted to say…" He began, but then sighed. Sarah could tell he was having trouble. "I just wanted to say that I am truly sorry for being so forward…" Jareth's eyes were focused on his boots, but when Sarah didn't immediately respond, he looked up to find her staring at him.

"I'm sorry too. I took my demonstration too far. I should have just used my words to explain how you were making me feel."

"You could have, but I think we both know that I respond best to action," He shrugged with a small smile, "And besides, I can't honestly say that it was entirely unenjoyable…" He chuckled lightly, the mirth returning back into his eyes.

Sarah was surprised to find herself laughing too, even if it was only from embarrassment. "Well just don't expect that to happen again," She teased.

"Oh I wouldn't even think of it," Jareth replied with solemnity, but what Sarah couldn't see was that he had one hand with his fingers crossed behind his back.


	6. A Fireplace Conversation

For the rest of the afternoon, Jareth showed Sarah around the castle and grounds. This time he let her walk on her own, mind you, he still walked as closely to her as he could. Sarah was aware of this, but said nothing, since he had at least stopped trying to touch her every single second. Jareth finished his grand tour with the library, which Sarah had already seen while on her own exploration, but she didn't have time before to explore his collection of books. The tall, two tiered dark wood bookshelves lined three walls of the room, only leaving enough room for the fireplace to peek out in the center of the wall across from the door. Examining the books more closely, Jareth had all of the classics that Sarah loved: _Little Women, Gone with the Wind, Moby Dick._

"Since you seem to enjoy this room so much, how about we have supper here?" He inquired thoughtfully.

"Alright," she smiled, still looking at his vast collection of novels. Sarah's breath caught in her chest when she heard a 'woosh' sound and turned to see that he had magically started a fire in the gray stone fireplace. In front of the fire, there were now various jewel coloured cushions strung about on the floor along with two place settings set across from each other. Sarah looked at him skeptically.

"What?" Jareth questioned in mock defense, "I thought that we could have an informal picnic." And with that word said, he snapped his fingers and trays of food appeared on the floor too: shrimp cocktails, oysters, and chocolate covered strawberries, among other things.

"Are you sure that this is an informal picnic?" Sarah asked curtly, "Because it looks more like an informal seduction..." She cocked an eyebrow at him, while crossing her arms across her chest.

Not missing a beat, Jareth replied, "Can I help it if these just happen to be all of my favourite foods?" He sat down in front of the couch and began casually leaning on a blood red satin pillow. He gestured to the spot across from him.

 _At least he's not trying to sit me beside me again_ … _not yet anyway,_ Sarah thought warily as she cautiously sat down on a thin, teal coloured cushion, staying alert for any trickery on his part. Jareth brought out three crystals and manipulated them around his hands until they became a bottle of champagne and two flute glasses. Jareth popped the cork out and began to pour.

Sarah awkwardly cleared her throat before saying, "You know I'm not of age right? I don't turn seventeen until next month and the legal drinking age above is twenty-one."

Jareth just made a noise of disagreement and passed her a glass. "Does it look like age really matters down here princess? In some countries, I believe the legal age to consume alcohol is sixteen, so why not just pretend that we are in one of those countries?"

Sarah opened her mouth to say something, but he held up his hand and added, "Look, I am not forcing you to drink, but if you would like to indulge, please, be my guest. It can be our little secret," he winked. "I am certainly going to indulge tonight," he finished darkly.

Sarah just gaped in shock until she realized that she should close her mouth. Luckily for her, Jareth hadn't seemed to have noticed her expression as he was busy filling his plate, so Sarah just followed suit. They both reached for the strawberries at the same time and their fingers brushed. It felt like a jolt of electricity to Sarah. She quickly looked to his hands and noticed that he had taken off his gloves.

"After you," he gestured in a gentlemanly fashion. Sarah put some strawberries on her plate, but never took her eyes off of his hands. It was the first time she had ever seen them without gloves. She had no clue as to why he always kept them covered; he had long, pale, slender fingers that reminded Sarah of a pianist.

"Fascinated by something, love?" He asked cheekily, cocking his head to one side.

 _Damn,_ she thought. He had caught her staring that time. Feeling that she had to say something in response to her odd behaviour, she began, "This is going to sound strange, but I just noticed your hands. It's just that I've never seen them without gloves before..." She hastily grabbed her champagne glass and took a couple of big gulps to stop herself from rambling.

Jareth tried in vain to suppress his laughter at her embarrassment. Having learned something from their last meal, he resisted the temptation to reach out and touch her. Instead, he just held his left hand out towards her as he said, "You can touch them you know, verify that they are real," he wiggled his fingers and eyebrows at her, goading her on.

Sarah eyed him warily, wondering if it was somehow a trick. She had to admit though that she was intrigued by his hands and felt strangely compelled to touch them. She slowly and hesitantly reached her right hand out to touch his. She grazed her fingers over the top of his hand and a tingly feeling radiated up her arm. Jareth then turned his hand over so she could run her fingers across his palm. His fingers reacted to her touch and began to close around her hand. He slowly moved his hand to the right so that he could intertwine his fingers with hers. He was happily surprised when she didn't pull away. He could sense her uncertainty through the tension she now held in her hand, but she did not pull away.

Both Jareth and Sarah had been holding their breath, eyes fixed on their hands entwining. Jareth gently squeezed Sarah's hand and when she squeezed back, they both looked up into each other's eyes. Sarah was surprised at the softness she saw in Jareth's, and Jareth was surprised at the courage he saw in Sarah's.

"Why do you always keep them covered?" Sarah asked, sincerely interested. His hand felt soft yet strong in hers and seemed to show no disfigurement or weakness.

Jareth gave her a genuine smile as he replied, "Truth be told, wearing gloves makes the crystals easier to manipulate and since I use crystals so often, I suppose I have just become accustomed to wearing them most of the time. I had never thought about it really..." he mused.

"Oh," Sarah said while nodding slowly, "I guess that makes sense."

"Why," Jareth chided playfully, "did you think there was some other reason?"

The few gulps of champagne Sarah had drank were beginning to do their work, making her feel all warm inside and a little bolder than usual. "I may have had a _Phantom of the Opera_ theory..."

Jareth erupted into true belly laughter. Sarah had never heard him laugh that way before, so it startled her at first, but then it made her smile, seeing the gleeful joy emanating from him. "That would be quite the theory," he continued laughing, "but as you can see my dear, my hands are unharmed. However, I love the mystery and passion of your fantasy though..." He licked his lips.

Sarah sparked at his use of the word 'fantasy'. She tried to snatch her hand back, but he held it firmly in place.

"I said theory, not fantasy," Sarah enunciated strongly.

"Ah yes," he chuckled, "my apologies." To calm her, he stroked his thumb in circles against the top of her hand.

Even with the champagne, this level of intimacy was becoming too much for Sarah. She hated that she was allowing him to lure her into his trap again. Sarah attempted to pull her hand away from his again, but he still held it firm in his grasp. Becoming anxious and needing to regain her personal bubble as soon as possible, Sarah did the first thing she could think of which was to use her free hand to slap the one holding hers hostage away. She did this quite forcefully and quickly. Jareth's hand snapped back suddenly in shock and surprise.

"Well, you can be a little tiger when you want to be," he murmured, while using his other hand to rub and soothe the stinging red mark forming on his right.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you," Sarah exclaimed quickly, "but you were pushing again! Is it possible for us to just have a normal conversation without you adding any sort of sexual innuendo?"

Jareth's eyes flashed up to her like daggers and an edge came into his voice, "I'm afraid that my sense of humour comes as part of the whole package."

"Sense of humour?" Sarah scoffed, "Try giant ego instead!" She supplied, before standing up in a huff.

"My ego is not the only thing that's giant," he replied quite cuttingly.

"There you go again!" She yelled in disgust. "It's bad enough that you expect everyone around you to stroke your ego, but when we won't, you have no problem stroking it yourself aloud!" Sarah closed her eyes and sighed after quickly realizing her choice of words. She raised her hands up to rub her face, waiting in agony for his crass reply, but none came.

Jareth had thought of something utterly tasteless to say, but he bit his lip to repress it. She was already so angry and he didn't want her storming out again, so instead, he opted for strategy.

"Why is it that our conversations always end up as arguments?" He asked quietly.

Sarah just looked down at the floor as she said, "You push me to my limits and I snap."

"Well, what are your limits?" He inquired, genuinely curious.

"I need my personal space and I need you to stop twisting everything I say into what suits you best." She raised her eyes to his as she finished.

"I am just trying to get you to be honest with yourself," he challenged, not wanting to back down.

"Honest with myself? You don't think I'm being honest with myself?" She couldn't believe him! "I know that you lust after me and I know that I have feelings of some sort for you, but instead of letting me explore them slowly and actually get to know you, you just push me for a decision! You said that age doesn't matter down here, but I know that you're older than me and frankly you are expecting too much of me. I may be mature in a lot of ways, but in many ways I'm also still just a teenager and this," she gestured in between them, "is all new to me."

Jareth just stared at her in shock, surprised at her complete confession. Sarah, glad she could finally say her peace, was suddenly very tired.

"I'm exhausted, so I'm going to head to bed. I think I can find my way back to our room on my own. Goodnight." And with that she was gone. She just turned towards the door and walked straight out without another glance at the Goblin King.

Jareth again was surprised, but also saddened at her sudden departure. This was not the way he had expected the evening to end, certainly not this early at least. He replayed her rant over in his mind. He did have to admit that at times he forgot how young she really was. He had just assumed that she must have had a boyfriend at some point or at least a date in the past, but maybe he was wrong…

Jareth waved his arm over the picnic setting, causing it to disappear. He kept his champagne glass though and stared into the fire. He would give her some time to cool off before approaching her again. The one hope that Jareth clung to though was what she had said just before leaving; she had called it 'our' room, not hers, not his, or just 'the room', but she had called it theirs. He took this as evidence that he would not be stuck in the proverbial doghouse forever and that after some time, he could join her in their room to sleep. He was relieved that even though they had argued, she had not demanded that he sleep on a couch somewhere else in the castle.


	7. Age is Just a Number

After an hour of ruminating by the fire, Jareth had finally managed to convince himself to head to their room, but first he wanted to see how Sarah was doing through a crystal. He conjured one with a turn of his wrist and began to stare into its glassy surface. He was surprised by what he saw. He had expected to see Sarah pacing back and forth in the room in anger or he even expected the room to be empty and then find out she was somehow trying to escape his Labyrinth and the Underground. But no, she actually seemed to be asleep. Not wanting to wake her, Jareth materialized himself into their room, instead of walking to their room and using the door. Sarah did not stir at his sudden appearance or when he waved his arms to change into his pajamas. Even when he sat and then laid down on the bed, she did not move. She had crawled under the covers, so as a sign of respect, Jareth pulled the fleece blanket over him in order to sleep on top of the covers.

The Goblin King did not sleep well that night. He tossed and turned. He was restless thinking about Sarah. She, however, never moved a muscle. At times, Jareth became worried and had to watch for the gentle rise and fall of her upper body to assure himself that she was still breathing. For most of the night he just stared at her sleeping form, puzzled by the strange hold she seemed to have over him.

This is how Sarah found him in the morning. Sleep was still heavy in her eyes, but the bright light peeking in through the window was bothering her, so she decided to open her heavy eyelids. It took Sarah a few seconds to understand the scene before her. She was still under the covers and Jareth was now in the bed with her, but on top of the covers and he was staring at her wide awake.

Jareth could not read what her mood was like from the sleepy expression on her face, so he chose to stay quiet, not wanting to anger her again. Sarah didn't know what to say either, so they just laid there staring at each other for several minutes. She noticed dark circles under his eyes and wondered if he had slept at all.

 _Why wouldn't he have slept?_ She wondered. _It couldn't be because of me._

Jareth couldn't stand the silence and staring for any longer, so he decided to break the ice. "You say," he began slowly, "that you would like to get to know me. Please feel free to ask me any questions you have at this moment. I am an open book."

Sarah, surprised at his willingness to be open, scrunched her eyebrows in thought for a few moments before speaking. "How old are you?" She asked plainly. She had decided to start off her line of questioning in easier territory before moving to the harder questions.

Jareth was pleased by her first question. This had been something that he had been wanting to explain to her, but it was a complex concept. "This is going to surprise you, but I was actually born around the same time as you." Jareth could see the clouds of confusion drift into Sarah's eyes. "I know that I look older than you," he continued softly, "but you have to remember that time moves differently Underground. I have not really kept track as it has no real purpose here, but I assume that I am hundreds of years old. However, if I lived in your world, I would be around sixteen years of age as well, maybe seventeen or eighteen."

Sarah's eyebrows automatically raised in surprise at his statement.

"Why?" He allowed himself to chuckle lightly. "How old do I look?"

Sarah calculated her response, carefully analyzing his features before saying, "I've always thought around thirty."

"And..." He paused, afraid to ask, but he needed to know. "Is being thirty good or bad?"

Sarah's face remained in a state of confusion for another moment. _What does he mean is being thirty good or bad? Does he want to know if I think he's too old for me? Is he? I don't know..._

Jareth anxiously awaited her response, but tried to keep his face neutral as she pondered.

"Well..." Sarah started, not really sure where to begin. "In my world, you'd be considered too old for me by your looks..." His face fell at her words. "However," she continued and his ear perked up, "we're not in my world at the moment and as you just explained, your true age is a little complicated. If I'm being completely honest with myself," she began to blush, "I have always been attracted to older guys..." Sarah couldn't look up at him, she just stared down at the bed sheet she was twisting between her fingers. If she had looked up, she would have been surprised to see the genuine, wide smile gracing Jareth's features. He was content to know that she wasn't ruling him out just yet. He still had a chance.


	8. Dream Versus Reality

Sarah and Jareth spent the next hour laying in bed, side by side, engrossed in surprisingly pleasant conversation. Sarah asked Jareth questions about ruling the Goblin Kingdom and he in turn asked her questions about her life Aboveground. The questions had remained pretty harmless: general interests, likes, and dislikes. Sarah had planned on asking some harder hitting questions, like 'What did he really expect of her here?' and 'Had he really been in that ballroom dancing with her when she ate the drugged peach?' But she didn't want to ruin the good moment they were having. Everything seemed so much easier when they were able to be civil and peaceful with each other. _And I still have to live with him for almost a whole year_ , Sarah thought.

Jareth too had wanted to be bolder and directly ask her if she had any interest in him at all romantically, but he was afraid he would scare her away again, and if he was being completely honest with himself, he was also afraid at what her answer would be. When Jareth had run out of easy questions to ask, he was about to get up from the bed and invite her to breakfast, when he felt her warm hand touch his shoulder for a brief moment.

"Jareth…" she began uneasily, "can I ask you one more, slightly odd question?"

"Go ahead," he replied, his interest genuinely peaked.

Sarah took a deep breath to calm her nerves before starting. She wasn't going to let herself chicken out. "When I was running the Labyrinth, Hoggle gave me a peach that he said after was a gift from you. When I bit into the peach and temporarily lost my memories, it sent me to a strange dream-like place. What I wonder is…"

"Was it real?" Jareth finished for her. Sarah nodded her head to confirm that was her question. "Come with me," he said quickly, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of bed. As soon as Sarah's feet hit the floor, they were instantly somewhere else. She wondered if she would ever get used to materialization.

Sarah looked around her and realized that they were now standing in the ballroom that she had discovered the day before. It still reminded her of the one in her dream, but with some differences. Jareth smiled at the look of mild recognition in her eyes and then snapped his fingers. In an instant the ballroom was transformed into the bubble, like the one from her dream, minus all of the other people. As Sarah turned around to look at the rest of the room, she heard a swish against the floor. She looked down and was startled to see that her pajamas had been changed into the white, sparkling ball gown. She raised her arms up and felt her hair; it was full and bejeweled like before. Jareth stepped into her line of sight and she immediately noticed the blue streaks in his light blonde hair. He had re-created her dream exactly. _Does this mean that it wasn't a dream?_ She wondered.

Although she hadn't said anything aloud, Sarah could tell from the knowing smile on Jareth's face that he somehow knew what she was thinking.

"You were there," she stated as fact rather than as a question.

Saying nothing to confirm nor deny her statement, Jareth simply smiled warmly and held his hand out to her. She immediately took it as if on instinct; acknowledging the very recent déjà vu quality of their current situation.

Magically, music surrounded them as he began re-creating their dance from before. She had surprisingly danced well the first time, but this time she felt even more confident since she could remember the steps and this time there weren't people gawking at her.

As they danced, Sarah realized that she hadn't taken her eyes off of Jareth's yet. She was surprised by her own confidence and so was he, both expecting her to look away with a blush, but Sarah felt oddly comfortable.

They continued to dance in silence, the music swelling around them. Just as Sarah began to fear that maybe she really was just dreaming, Jareth spoke. "Do you remember the bubbles?"

It took Sarah a second to understand what he was referring to, but then she realized he must mean the floating bubbles she saw after she took a bite of the peach.

"Yes, I do."

"They transported you here to my castle."

"So it wasn't a dream?" Sarah asked again in wonder. She needed confirmation; she needed to settle her mind.

As Jareth spun her around the floor, he said, "No, it was definitely not a dream."

"But the other people and this bubble?" Sarah pondered, looking around at the reflective circle encasing them.

"Simply illusions I created. When you broke the illusion, the bubbles transported you back to near where they found you."

Sarah slowly nodded, digesting all of this new information. One thought kept bugging her though and she couldn't help but voice it. "Did you want me to think it was just a dream?"

Jareth pursed his lips for a moment, trying to decide what he should reveal to her. "Yes…and no…"

Sarah cocked an eyebrow at him suspiciously, clearly wanting him to explain further.

"I was torn," Jareth said simply.

Sarah waited for him to say more, but he added nothing else. "You were torn?" She exclaimed, "About what?" Her building frustration made her pull back from him a bit, but they kept dancing.

"Would you like me to be completely honest?" Jareth asked her. "I warn that you may not like what you will hear." He wanted to make sure that she knew what she was getting herself into. Sarah nodded her head quickly; she needed to know everything.

Jareth took a deep breath before locking his eyes onto hers. "At first when I gave Hoggle the peach, it was simply meant to be a distraction, but then as I continued to watch over you, you began to intrigue me."

"What do you mean you were watching over me?" She asked, confused by what he meant.

This is what Jareth had been afraid of revealing to her, unsure of how she was going to take it. "Just as I can show people their dreams in a crystal, I can also watch over them in their daily lives, like I showed you with Toby."

Sarah's eyes dilated with shock as she opened them widely. "I think 'spy on' sounds like more of an appropriate phrase," she said cuttingly, her eyes transforming from wide chocolate pools to sharp, searing daggers.

Jareth winced at the hardness he could see coming into her eyes.

"How long have you been spying on me?" She asked curtly.

Jareth had promised her the whole truth so he just bit the bullet and quickly answered, "Two months ago when I first saw you in the park."

Sarah's mouth opened wide to match her eyes from before as the puzzle pieces fell into place within her mind. "I remember strangely seeing an grey owl perched on a tree branch."

"Yes," he continued, "I was fascinated by the fact that you were rehearsing my story. I knew that mortals had recorded it on paper many years ago, but I had never seen someone perform it before. You captivated me." He gave her a small smile.

She softened slightly in his arms, but her face remained serious. "How often have you watched me?"

"At first I just watched you at the park, but then I became curious about your life at home, so I would watch you dine with your family, babysit your brother, do your homework…," Jareth took a sharp intake of breath, "and since I promised you complete honesty, I will admit that I would also watch you sleep sometimes…"

"Jareth!" Sarah yelled, interrupting him and pushing herself away from him, breaking their dance. She felt off balance for a moment standing so still and not dancing. "Do you have any idea of how creepy this all sounds? Watching someone without their knowledge isn't romantic, it's scary! You're a stalker!"

Jareth cringed at her strong words, stung by them. "I swear to you Sarah that I had no malicious intent or motives," he explained almost pleadingly.

"I know!" Sarah huffed, raising both of her arms in the air, "For some _**crazy**_ reason I believe you, but that still doesn't make it okay!" She paused mid-rant to catch her breath and then had a startling thought. "You've never watched me change or shower, have you?" She gulped in fear.

Jareth instinctively wanted to reach out and comfort her, but he knew that at this moment she'd pull away and possibly run away from him, so he just kept his hands at his sides as he replied seriously, "No, of course not. I may be salacious, but I am no peeping tom. That is beneath even me, I believe."

Sarah was just about to release a sigh of relief when he couldn't help but add, "I was definitely tempted at times though," he smirked, trying to lighten the mood.

Sarah blushed fiercely, her mind in a whirl, wondering about the specific times he had been tempted. _I wonder what I did to turn him on?_ She shook her head quickly, trying to banish those thoughts away.

Sarah was not sure how it had happened, but somehow they were dancing again. Jareth was holding her closer than before, but Sarah didn't really mind since she could rest her head on his shoulder and not have to look into his eyes. Although dancing with Jareth felt nice, Sarah's mind was focused on the mess of thoughts and feelings running through her head. She was angry yet amused, excited yet scared, and curious yet hesitant. She wasn't really enjoying the moment they were having until she heard a humming in her ear. It took her a moment to recognize that Jareth was humming the song from their first dance. She allowed herself to let go of her worries, close her eyes, and just revel in the sound of his smooth voice reverberating through her ears. Sarah's mind became calm and her breathing became regular again as she relaxed into a peaceful state in Jareth's arms.


	9. But I'll Be There For You

When Jareth had managed to coax Sarah back into dancing, he noticed how tense and rigid she had become. It worried him that she wouldn't look him in the eye. Although he enjoyed feeling the warmth of her cheek on his shoulder, he could tell that she was in a deeply pensive mood. Before Jareth even consciously realized what he was doing, he began humming the song he had first sung to her in the ballroom mere days ago. He was so relieved when he felt her start to relax in his arms, but he still wanted to see her eyes. Sarah's eyes could be so telling and he needed to see whether there was warmth or ice in them for him. In hopes of attracting her attention, Jareth began singing the words of their song.

"But I'll be there for you…as the world falls down…I'll paint you mornings of gold. I'll spin you Valentine evenings, though we're strangers 'til now, we're choosing the path between the stars. I'll lay my love between the stars…"

Jareth paused in his singing, anxiously awaiting a reaction from her. She still wasn't looking at him, but he heard a timid voice ask, "What does it mean?"

"What dearest?" When she didn't say anything further, Jareth lost the restraint he had been trying to maintain, and reached out with his gloved hand to gently tilt her chin up to look at him.

He saw the confusion in her eyes as she clarified her question and asked again in a stronger voice, "What does your song mean?"

Jareth was at a loss of words for a moment, but managed to ask, "Don't the lyrics explain my feelings?"

"They're a bit…abstract," Sarah finished, trying to find the right word to describe his beautiful yet poetically vague lyrics. "What do you expect of me here over the next year?" She asked again, hoping that by phrasing her question a little differently, he might give her a complete answer.

"Expectations?" Jareth voiced aloud, his brow knitted together in thought. "I don't have any," he concluded.

"But you must," Sarah sighed. "When telling me about the terms of our contract, you said **if** I wanted to go home at the end of the year…"

Sarah was very observant, Jareth had to give her that. Did he have expectations? _No, but I do have an end goal…_ He thought. He wanted Sarah to choose to stay with him after their year was up. _But should I tell her that?_ "I want us to get to know each other as we are doing now and I want you to see me as more than just a villain. I really only did what you asked. I gave you adventure and excitement; allowed you to be the hero of your own story. I fashioned myself after how you wanted to see me, but now I would like for you to see me in a different light." He finished a little breathless.

"And at the end of our year?" She pushed further.

"I want you to choose to stay with me," He stated bluntly, finally deciding to stop playing games.

Sarah took a sharp intake of breath. "That's a rather big request," she replied shakily. She felt a little light headed at his words. She was actually glad that they were still dancing as with Jareth's arms around her, she felt more supported.

"We still have lots of time before you have to decide," Jareth said in a comforting tone while stroking her back soothingly with his right hand.

"But to give up my family? I don't think I could ever do that." Sarah looked down at the ground, afraid to meet his eyes. She didn't want to hurt him, but she wanted to be honest.

"Whoever said you would have to do that?" He smiled down at her.

Sarah's eyes flashed up to his quickly. "You mean I could see them?" She asked. "If I _chose_ to stay with you that is," she added, not wanting to sound too eager, but also seeking clarification.

"Of course! I can transport you Aboveground just as I transported you Underground." He stated confidently in an almost haughty tone.

Sarah nearly rolled her eyes at his cockiness, but then thought better of it. "So I'd have to rely on you then to travel between the realms." She gave him a serious stare, cocking one eyebrow.

Jareth cleared his throat awkwardly before confirming, "Yes…" He knew that she would take issue with this point; his Sarah was so fiercely independent.

She heaved a sigh. "Can we stop dancing and actually have a serious talk about this?"

"Of course," Jareth replied in a business-like manner. They both stilled their movements; then Jareth snapped his fingers and a beautiful wrought iron bench painted a sparkling gold appeared beside them in the ballroom. Jareth led Sarah to it, still holding on to her hand as they sat down. She let him, too caught up in her own thoughts to care much about her personal bubble at the moment.

"Can I trust you?" Sarah asked, turning towards him, searching for the truth in his eyes.

"I promise I will…I mean _would_ take you Aboveground whenever you wanted if you should so decide to stay with me," Jareth stated earnestly, squeezing her hand.

Sarah smiled sadly at him. "But it's not just that. Can I trust you to be kind and open? Will you talk to me and respect me?" Jareth could see the worry evident in her eyes. He reached out a comforting hand to stroke her cheek gently. Sarah kept her eyes looking down at her lap, but she leaned into his hand slightly.

"Yes, you can," he began softly, "but I understand that I need to earn your trust. Thankfully I have almost a whole year still to do just that before you must decide."

Feeling a bit braver, Sarah looked up at him through her lashes. She was surprised at the genuine warmth she saw in Jareth's soft features. She opened her mouth slightly in her awe. Jareth smiled.

"You are wearing the exact same expression of shock you had a few days ago when I first sang that I would be there for you." He chuckled.

"Well you do surprise me with your actions sometimes," She admitted, raising her eyes fully to his.

"Ah, I see," he exclaimed cheery, "I think I would have continued to surprise you in that moment…if you hadn't run away that is," he added teasingly.

Sarah put her hands on her hips in mock offense. "Well I just knew that I had forgotten something important," she ribbed back, although her curiosity was now peaked. "But let's just say…hypothetically, what would have happened if I hadn't run away from you in that moment?" She tilted her head sideways slightly, questioning.

Bluntness had been working for him so far, so Jareth just blurted out, "I wanted to kiss you."

Sarah's look of shock returned as she processed this information and before her brain could stop her, she asked, "And do you still want to kiss me?"

"More than ever," he stated darkly. And in the next second, he pressed his lips to hers hopefully, unable to wait any longer. He was gentle at first, afraid that she would push him away or not kiss back, but after the startled effect wore off, Sarah began to move her lips against his. Both were reveling in the softness of the other's lips. Jareth ran his hands down her arms and back while Sarah kept her hands on his shoulders and neck. Jareth just wanted to feel all of her at once, while Sarah wanted to keep a firm hold on him to ensure to herself that this was real.


	10. Answered Questions

Sarah and Jareth were both lost in their kiss. They had established a fluid rhythm while exploring each other's mouths. Sarah was only brought back to reality when she felt Jareth's hands begin to slip from her waist and down to her bottom.

She inhaled sharply as she pulled away from him, but kept her hands on his chest. "Woah, slow down there cowboy," Sarah panted, slightly breathless from their vigorous kiss.

"My apologies, precious. I just can't seem to control myself around you," Jareth replied equally breathless, returning his hands to her waist. He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers. Sarah couldn't help but smile as she also closed her eyes. They remained in that relaxed position together for a few moments. Their breathing evened out and fell in sync.

Sarah was just about to sign contentedly when a thought hit her. "Wait a second," she began, lifting her forehead off of his to stare into his eyes. "How many times has this happened to you?"

Jareth squinted his eyes at her, unsure of what she was getting at. "Sarah dear, you will have to be more specific please."

She removed her hands from his chest and put them awkwardly at her side; fear creeping into her and ruining their beautiful moment. "How many others have defeated the Labyrinth? And what happened to them?" Sarah asked, deadly serious.

Surprise registered on Jareth's face at her line of questioning, but having nothing else to hide, he spoke honestly. "Since I became King, you are the only person who has defeated my Labyrinth."

Sarah raised her brows in genuine shock. "Really?"

"Really. Every King once crowned gets to design their own Labyrinth for the duration of their reign. The King before me did a terrible job and had many champions. When I ascended to the throne, I designed what I had deemed an impenetrable Labyrinth, that is until you came along." He smiled warmly at her.

Sarah started to smile back, but realized she still had more questions that needed answers first. "Was the King before you your father?"

Jareth openly winced at her words. "That is a story for another time…" Sarah opened her mouth to object, but Jareth silenced her with a finger to her lips as he continued, "One that I promise I will tell you soon, but now on to the second part of your question. All of the defeated runners and whoever they were running for were returned home safely."

"Wait, what?" Sarah furrowed her brow in confusion. "Aren't the goblins the children you took?"

"That is what I wanted you to think. That is what I want every runner to think." He stated coolly.

"Why?" She asked, dumbfounded.

"Sarah," Jareth sighed, "As I told you, I am not the villain you think I am. The Labyrinth was created to give children an escape, a fantastical adventure," he put a finger under her chin, "An adventure to show them what truly matters."

Sarah's eyes softened at his words. "Love," she stated simply.

"Yes." Jareth knew that Sarah was referring to the love she learned she had for Toby, but secretly he hoped that she was including him too.

"Have you ever been in love?" She asked, curious.

Jareth opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. _Should I profess my love to her now? Will it scare her away if I do? What if she doesn't love me in return?_

Sarah could see the worry enter Jareth's face as he thought. She didn't like seeing him so distraught. She reached out her hand and cupped his cheek, stroking her finger back and forth over his cheekbone. Jareth sighed and closed his eyes at her touch. He needed to confess his feelings to her now or he felt he would explode with doubt.

"Sarah," he began, stepping away from her and breaking contact. "I need to confess something to you and I need you to let me say my peace without interruption…"

"Okay…" Sarah's responded quietly, concerned about what he was going to reveal.

Standing still, Jareth almost lost his nerve, so he began pacing slowly in a circle around her. She slowly turned around to follow, wanting to see his face.

"Sarah, I know you think that I was cruel before, but everything you have wanted I have done. I acted like a villain when you needed me to and now…I want to be your hero. Even in the little time we have had together, I have changed. I have turned my world upside down and I have done it all for you. I want to live up to your new expectations of me." Jareth wasn't even looking at Sarah anymore, just staring blindly ahead as he encircled her, letting his words flow freely. Sarah continued to turn with him, her mouth open in shock at his declaration.

"Look Sarah, what I'm offering you is a dream life with me. I ask for so little; just stay with me and you can have everything that you want. Just be with me, love me, rule by my side, and I will be your slave." Jareth stopped moving and finally brought his eyes back to her face. He could tell she was surprised, but whether it was a good or bad surprise, he couldn't tell.

Sarah's mouth felt extremely dry, but she managed to croak, "I don't need or want a slave..."

Jareth's face fell at her words. _I knew this would be too much! Why did I say all of that? Stupid!_ Since Jareth's eyes were trained on the ground in front of him in shame, he did not notice that Sarah was approaching him from behind. He started in surprise when he felt her arms wrap around his waist.

Sarah buried her face in the back of his shirt and mumbled, "But I know that I love you…"

Jareth's body was completely frozen, his mind processing her words. _I must have heard her wrong. She did not say what I think she just said, did she?_ "You…love me?" He asked, the words sounding strange coming from his mouth.

Sarah lifted her head and rested her chin on his back as she confirmed, "I believe I do. Do you love me?"

Jareth covered her hands with his and then spun around in her embrace to face her, looking sheepish. "Well…that may have been what I was trying to say in my rambling…"

Sarah's face broke out into a beaming smile and she chuckled, "I thought that might be what you were trying to say, so I decided I'd help you out and say it first."

"Thank you," he sighed, relieved as he kissed her forehead.

"So what now?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Well, since this has all happened so fast, I think we take the rest of this year and continue to get to know one another," he suggested, while tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"And then?"

"You can decide whether you want to stay with me or not. If you do, we can figure out a schedule for you to see your family and friends Aboveground and if you do not, I will say goodbye and be out of your life forever," he finished sadly.

Now it was Sarah's turn to place a finger under his chin and tilt his head upward so their eyes could meet. "Somehow, I don't think your second option is going to happen," she said warmly.

"I'd hold off on your final decision though, as I haven't even introduced you to the goblins yet," he warned playfully, "They can be a real handful."

"Oh, I'm sure I can handle them," Sarah replied reassuringly before kissing him on the cheek. Like your Labyrinth, it'll be a piece of cake," she winked.

"A piece of cake. Really?" He asked smugly. "How's this for a piece of cake?" As he began tickling her ribs.

Sarah started to laugh uncontrollably and when freeing herself from his grasp didn't seem to work, she did the next thing she could think of, which was to kiss him. As soon as her lips touched his, Jareth's hands moved to hold her in a tight embrace.

When they had to break for air, Jareth held her face in his hands and studied her, "My, how you've turned my world you precious thing."

"For the better I hope?" She asked, still smiling.

"Definitely."

THE END


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